2034 FIFA World Cup
The 2034 FIFA World Cup will be the 25th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA. Expressed interest in bidding Indonesia & Thailand The first bid for the 2034 FIFA World Cup has been proposed as a collective bid by the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The idea of a combined ASEAN bid had been mooted as early as January 2011, when the former Football Association of Singapore President, Zainudin Nordin, said in a statement that the proposal had been made at an ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting. In 2013, Nordin and Special Olympics Malaysia President, Datuk Mohamed Feisol Hassan, recalled the idea for ASEAN to jointly host a World Cup. Under FIFA rules as of 2017, the 2030 World Cup cannot be held in Asia (AFC) as Asian Football Confederation members are excluded from the bidding following the selection of Qatar in 2022. Therefore, the earliest bid by an AFC member could be made for 2034. Later, Malaysia withdrew from involvement but Singapore and other ASEAN countries continued the campaign to submit a joint bid for the World Cup in 2034. In February 2017, ASEAN held talks on launching a joint bid during a visit by FIFA President Gianni Infantino to Yangon, Myanmar. In July 2017, Joko Driyono, Vice President of the Football Association of Indonesia, during a meeting in Vietnam said that Indonesia and Thailand were set to lead a consortium of Southeast Asian nations in the bid. Driyono added that due to geographic and infrastructure considerations and the expanded format (48 teams), at least two or three ASEAN countries combined would be in a position necessary to host matches. In September 2017, the Football Association of Thailand's Deputy CEO, Benjamin Tan, at the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Council meeting, confirmed that his Association has "put in their interest to bid and co-host" the 2034 World Cup with Indonesia. On the same occasion, the General Secretary of the AFF, Dato Sri Azzuddin Ahmad, confirmed that Indonesia and Thailand will submit a joint bid. Indonesia is the only Southeast Asian country to have participated in the World Cup; its national team was the first from Asia to do so and it became one of the fewest teams to qualify without playing a match because of opponents' withdrawals. The 1938 World Cup is the Indonesians' only appearance to date when their country was known as the Dutch East Indies. A loss to Hungary eliminated the Dutch East Indians from contention, making Indonesia the only team in World Cup history to have played a single match. Far from ever having to host the World Cup, no other Southeast Asian country has ever qualified to the tournament. As of June 2018, Indonesia is ranked by FIFA at 164th place and not a single national team from Southeast Asia was ranked among the FIFA top 100, with Vietnam being the closest at 102th place. China-Korea-Japan China has announced its interest in bidding several times and reports stated "that China is likely to host the World Cup for the first time in 2034." South Korea's President Moon Jae-in suggested in June 2017 that the World Cup be hosted by a Northeast Asian block including both South Korea and North Korea, telling FIFA president Gianni Infantino it would improve relations in the region. Chung Mong-gyu, the head of the Korea Football Association, renewed the offer to the DPR Korea Football Association, the Chinese Football Association and the Japan Football Association at the FIFA Congress in Moscow in June 2018. Under FIFA rules in 2018, the 2030 FIFA World Cup cannot be held in the AFC or CONCACAF unless no other members from the team steps in. Hence, the earliest bid that both China, South Korea, North Korea and Japan can make is on 2034. Zimbabwe In 2014, Zimbabwe's then-Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Walter Mzembi revealed plans for the country to bid for the 2034 World Cup. 2034